Oil projectile



E. R. AND 0. H. CRAMER.

OIL PROJECTILE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 23, 1921.

1,%16,615, I Patented May 16 22.

HEETS "fimliiiililimf mimlllllllll 3 H ,7 INVIEIVTORS WITNESSES 12 Epw/NECe /mse O S CHE H. CpqMt-e A TTOR/VEYS E. B. AND 0. H. CRAMER.

OIL PROJECTILE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 23. 1921.

1,451 6,6 1 5 Patented May 16, 1922.

2 SHEETS SHEET 2.

jig l 55 WITNESSES uvmvrans A TTORIVEYS Mira s ras EDWIN R. CRAMER, OF NEWARK, AND OSCAR H. CRAMEB, OF EDGIEMTA'JJER, NEW

JERSEY.

OIL PROJECTILE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 16, 1922.

Application filed March 23, 1921. Serial No. 454,666.

To all whom it may concern:

Be'it known that we, EDWIN R. CRAMER and OSCAR H. CRAMER, both citizens of the United States, and residents, respectively, of Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, and Edgewater, in the county of Bergen and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and Improved Oil Projectile, of which the following isa full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to means for calming the sea by oil and has particular relation to anoilprojectile.

. It has been the common practice heretofore in event of the wrecking or disabling of a vessel to calm the sea adjacent thereto by dumping therein quantities of oil which forms a film. to prevent breakers during the transfer of passengers to a rescue ship. Under this practice quantities of oil have been carried by each ship for this purpose but many disadvantages have been apparent due to the fact that the sea oftt'imes washes the oil film away before the transfer of passenge'rs can be completely effected.

It is therefore the principal object of the present invention to provide a projectile adapted to contain a quantity of oil which can be fired from the usual mortar used for the purpose of projecting life lines whereby the oil contained therein may be released an appropriate distance from the vessel on the windward side.

A further object in view resides in the .provision of a projectile of this character which includes a receptacl'e and a nose con- 'stituting a cover for the open end of the receptacle and means for retaining said nose over the open end of the receptacle, which .means is operable when the energy of the projectile-is spent to release the receptacle from the nose.

A further object in view is to provide a projectile of the character described which is comparatively simple in its construction, inexpensive to produce and which is thoroughly reliable and highly efiicient in its purpose.

With these and other objects in view, the invention resides in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts set forth in the following specification, pointed out in the appended claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings,in which Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view through a projectile constructed in accordance With the invention and illustrating the normal arrangement of parts. i

Figure 2 is a similar view illustrating the arrangement of parts when the energy of the projectile has been spent.

Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional View taken approximately on the line 33 of Figure 1. 1

Figure 4 is a horizontal sectional'view taken approximately on the line 4-4 of Figure 1.

F1gure 5 is a perspective view illustrating the position of the projectile when the energy for projecting the same has been spent.

Figure 6 is a detail perspective view of the actuating bolt used in connection therewith.

Referring to the drawings by characters of reference, the projectile includes a container 10 and a nose 11. The container 10 comprises a cylindrical shell 12 closed at its lower end by a head 13 provided with an substantially the same diameter as the greatest diameter of the flange 14 and tapers toward its outer end to a central point to reduce the head resistance of the projectile to a minimum. I An annular reduced boss 17 projects inwardly from the inner end of the nose 11, the external diameter thereof being of substantially the same size as the internal diameter of the shell 12 whereby the same may be telescopically received thereby. The boss 17 is provided with a plurality of radially disposed openings 18 which are inclined inwardly or downwardly. The shell 12 is provided adjacent its open end with a plurality of semi-spherical sockets 19 in its inner periphery which are designed to align or register with the outer ends of the openings 18 when the boss is telescopically positioned in the shell. In order to provide means for detachably associating the nose 11 with the container, a plurality of, retaining pins 20 thereof said extremities will be received by the sockets 19 Thenose 1 1 is provided with a central bore 22 extending into the same.

from the inner end thereof and communicating with the interior of the boss 17. An actuating bolt 23 having a conical head'24 and a circular shank 25 provided with a conical extremity 26 is provided and said shank 25 is arranged for sliding movement in the bore 22. The sidesof the COIllCLlllEilCl are provided with flattened wedge faces 27 which are designed to engage and co-act with the inner ends of the retaining pins 20 for the purpose of effecting the radial projection of the semi-spherical ends f TOm the boss upon outward sliding movement of the actuating bolt 23. A pair of triggers-2S are pivoted within the slots 29 of the nose at diametrically opposite sidesofthe-bore 22 as at 30 and said triggers are provided with retaining fingers 31 and releasefingers 32. The free outer ends of thetriggers ,are provided with semi-cylindrical wings 33 which arepreferably formed integral therewith. The retaining lingers 31 are designed to co-act with the arcuate notches 3 1- formed in the shank 25 of the actuating bolt at diametrically opposite sides thereof, forthe purpose of shifting said bolt outwardly and retaining the same'in its shifted position. The wings 33 are. designedtoembrace and house the container when the bolt is shifted outwardly, the free ends of said wingsbeing positioned adjacent to the annular flange let. The wings 38 when in this position are of substantially the same diameter as the major diameter of the annular flange and the nose, the inner periphery of said wings being slightly spaced from the outer periphery of the shell 12. The flange 1 1 is provided with a plurality of flared ports 34: which extend therethrough and communicate with the space between the wings and the shell 12, for a purposeto be hereafter set forth: The head '13 is provided with a central filling opening 35 which permits the oil 36 to be introducedto the shell after the nosehas been attached thereto by inverting the projectile. A plug87 is then inserted for closing said filling opening. The oil used ispreferably of a thick consistency and the small quantity which might leak through the bore 22 will serve as a means for lubricating the triggers and the retainingpins. The head 18 is preferably of a suiiicient weight ,to over-balance the nose end v of the projectilewhereby when tlie energy for projectingthe projectile is spent, the projectile will drop as illustrated in Figure!) of the. drawings.

Inuse and operation of the projectile, the same is used in connection with the ordinary form of life linemortar nowinstal e ea r by leeirs har in the mortar and then inserting theprojectile in the muzzle, with the head 13 adjacent to the charge. The mortaruwill' be aimed .and fired in the direction desired and when the force of the projectile has been spent, the inner end will cause the same to fall with the nose up. The descent of the projectile in this manner will cause currents of ileasingthe retaining lingers 31 from the notches 34 in-the actuating bolt 23, at the same 't ne the releasing fingers 32 w1ll,engage and coaact with the conical extremity 26 of the bolt to shift the same downwardly or inwardly. As the bolt moves inwardly,

the wedge faces 27 will permit of a radial contraction of the retaining pins 18thereby disengagingthesem -spherical outer ends 21 ,thereof fromthe sockets 19 and permitting of the separationof the container from the nose to distribute the oil contained therein over thesurface of the sea. By the use of this projectile a filmof oil maybe disposed over the surface of thesea to the windward of a disabled vessel so that the film will move toward the vessel and permitof thetransfer ,andi'escue of passengers. The

projectile will also be especially useful ,to effect the arranging of small rescue boats from the shore by firing projectiles a suflicient distance to spread a lil m over the breakers.

While there has "been illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of the in- 'vention, 11.0 limitation is necessarily made to the precise structural. details, as it isto be understopd that variations and modifications which properly fall within the scope ofthe appendedclaims may be resorted to when found. expedient.

.W e claim:

1. A pro ectile of the character described including a container shell having a closed weighted end and an open end, anose constituting a closure for said open end, interengageable means provided respectively on the shell and closure for normally re- ,tainingisaid closure in closed relation with respect to the open end, said means being d sengageable whenthe force of theproject le is spent by the verticaldescent f the projectile with its ,weighted,endiforern ost,

whereby to eliiect separatipn of the container from the closure.

a ,2. A project le ncluding a container shell .having a .closedweighted end. and an, open end, a nose constituting a closure adapted to fit within said open end, means on the shell and means on the closure adapted for interengagement to retain the closure in closed relation with respect to the open end of the shell, the means on the nose being movable after the force of the projectile is spent by the vertical descent of the same with the weighted end foremost to effect disengagement of the same from the means on the shell whereby to permit of separation thereof and the discharge of the contents of the shell.

An oil projectile comprising a hollow cylindrical receptacle having a closed Weighted end, a nose constituting a closure for the open end thereof, means carried by the nose for retaining the same in closed relation to the open end and a second means carried by the nose adapted to co-act with the first means when the energy of the projectile is spent to release said retaining means for effecting separation of the nose from the receptacle and the discharge of its contents.

4-, An oil projectile comprising a cylindrical shell having a closed weighted end and an open end, a nose constituting a closure therefor, a plurality of sockets in the shell adjacent its open end, a plurality of radially projectible retaining pins carried by the nose and adapted to be received by the sockets for retaining the nose in associated relation with the shell, a longitudinally slidable bolt mounted in the nose and adapted to co-act with the retaining pins for effecting radial projection thereof, and pivoted wings carried by the nose and adapted to co-act with the bolt for shifting and retaining the same to a position to project the retaining pins when said Wings are arranged in closed position, and Ineanscarried by said wings and operable to effect a shifting of the bolt to permit of radial contraction of the retaining pins when the Wings are open.

5. An oil projectile including a receptacle having a closed weighted end and an open end, a nose constituting a closure for said open end and means for retaining said nose in closed relation to said open end comprisvEng sockets formed in the receptacle and pins carried by the nose and projectible into said sockets, and means for normally retaining said pins projected during the flight of the projectile, said means being operable when the energy of the projectile is spent to permit of the radial contraction of the pins whereby separation of the nose from the receptacle will be effected to discharge the contents thereof, as and for the purpose specified.

EDWIN R. CRAMER. OSCAR H. GRAM-ER. 

